KERRISDALE HAPPENINGS

February is a month that highlights the importance of acceptance and allowing people to be free to be their authentic self. Linked HERE is a document that talks about the difference between Peer Conflict, Mean Behaviour and Bullying. Most of the behaviour we see at school is either peer conflict or mean behaviour. Please take a moment to read through this document and have a discussion with your child. At school we continue to teach about- Is it Safe?, Is it Fair?, Is it Kind? and how to give students the skills to manage their emotions and work through problems with their peers.

Kerrisdale will be welcoming Angela Nguyen, our new French Language Monitor. Angela is excited to join the school community and will be working closely with staff and students to support French language learning beginning Monday February 3, 2025 to Wednesday May 28, 2025 on Mondays and Wednesday. 

Mme Mountali’s Kindergarten class is collecting clean small round plastic lids from drinks, salad dressing, toothpaste, body lotion, etc., as well as empty paper towel or wrapping paper tubes. If you would like to send some in on an ongoing basis, please have your child drop them off at Room 001. Thank you!

We have a Professional Development Day on February 14 and Family Day on February 17. School is not in session for students on these days.

I would like to wish everyone who celebrates Lunar New Year a prosperous new year. May this year bring you good health and good fortune!  A HUGE thank you to the PAC and the Lunar New Year committee for bringing us some fun and cultural experiences this month. The God of Wealth or Cai Shen (Cai meaning wealth, and Shen referring to the divine) is the deity governing financial prosperity and fortune in Chinese folklore. The God of Wealth will be visiting our classes this Friday to bring us success and happiness in life. On Friday, Feb. 7 we will have a Lion Dance and other cultural experiences for the whole school to partake in.

WILL YOU BE RETURNING TO KERRISDALE IN SEPTEMBER 2025?

We are currently working to confirm our registration numbers. To assist us, we ask that you please complete the form below by Monday, February 3, 2025.

Please fill out one form for EACH CHILD you have attending Kerrisdale Elementary (if you have several children, you will need to fill out a new form for each child). Please mark only ONE of the responses below. If you are waiting to hear about acceptance at another school or program, please indicate this in Question 8.

If you have already moved or know that you will moving out of our catchment area before September 2025 and are planning to attend another school in the fall, please indicate this below. If you are unsure of your future plans or if your situation changes before the end of the school year, please contact the office directly via email to let us know of your updated plans.

Grade 7 students moving on to Secondary school do NOT need to complete this form.

Link to form: https://forms.office.com/r/hiKesPUmUN

SAFE ARRIVAL

Thank you to families for using our safe arrival system. When your child will be late or away for the day, please call the Safe Arrival line at (604) 713-5159 and press 41 to reach the voicemail system to leave a message. When leaving your message, please speak slowly and clearly as we will be writing all the information down.  The details we require are your child’s full name, their teacher’s name and their division and how long they will be absent for.

If the school has not received a message from you by 9:15 am then we will begin calling parents or guardians on the child’s emergency contact list. Please ensure that the phone numbers you have provided us will reach a person who will answer the phone. If this information changes at any point in the school year, please contact the office.

As this is a voice mail system, please call at any hour as soon as you are aware of the absence or lateness as the system takes calls on a 24 hour basis.

If you child arrives late, please have them come to the office to sign in. They also need to sign out if they are being picked up early. We appreciate your cooperation!

VSB PROCEDURES FOR SEVERE WEATHER

SCIENCE CELEBRATION

A huge thank you to all the families who joined us on Wednesday for our Science Celebration! Special thanks to Mme. Barber for organizing this fantastic event, and to all the teachers and students who participated. Here are just a few examples of the incredible work that was showcased. Bien fait!

SCHOOL CALENDAR

School Calendar – we will be keeping our online calendar through our website updated. You can subscribe to this calendar, and it will automatically be downloaded to your own calendar. Please follow this link HERE for instructions on how to subscribe.

STREET TO SEA PROGRAM

As an extension of our Stream of Dreams program, intermediate grade students will participate in a 75-minute session focused on becoming environmental stewards. They will learn about the impacts of garbage on freshwater and marine ecosystems. After a hands-on classroom session, students will join the Street to Sea team leaders outside to pick up garbage before it enters storm drains. Each student will be provided with a garbage picker, reflective vest, and bucket, and will be led on a walking field trip around the school community. At the end of the activity, the collected garbage will be weighed so students can see the difference they’ve made. The school will receive a class set of garbage pickers, reflective vests, and a weigh scale as a gift. This program will run from Mon., Feb. 24 – Thurs. Feb. 27, 2025.

STREAM OF DREAMS

Exciting News: Streams of Dreams Program Coming This Spring!

Our school is thrilled to participate in Streams of Dreams, an award-winning environmental education and community art program! This engaging program teaches students and their communities about local watersheds, streams, rivers, and the ocean. It inspires conservation and empowers youth to make positive environmental impacts, all while creating a beautiful community art legacy. Every student at Kerrisdale will paint a fish, which will be installed on the school fence as a lasting legacy project.  It’s science, it’s art, and it’s fun!

Program Dates: Tuesday, April 8th to Friday, April 11th
Volunteer Opportunity: We are still in need of parent volunteers to help install the fish on Monday, April 14th (4–6 hours). If you can assist, please fill out this form by April 4, 2025 – https://forms.office.com/r/Gyg3acXebZ.

Learn more about this inspiring program at www.streamofdreams.org.

STUDENT COUNCIL

On February 5th and 12th Student Council will be holding a hot chocolate sale.  The sale will take place at the front of the school and will start at 8:30am and will end at 8:50am.  One cup cost $4, but if you bring your own cup, it will cost $2!  All funds will go to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. See you on Wednesday! 

 

This coming March, Kerrisdale is celebrating Carnaval with a week of fun activities and spirit.

Student Council is kicking off the week by hosting a Carnaval Spirit Day: Cozy Carnaval!  To participate, students can wear winter attire such as tuques and scarves. This event will take place on Monday, March 3. Cozy Carnaval is to celebrate the Canadian and Quebec winter festival.  

Wearing winter attire is optional, but students are highly encouraged to participate in this school wide event.  

UPCOMING EVENTS

February is Black History Month. Each year, the Vancouver School District marks Black History Month through several events and school-based activities. This year, teachers and students will be participating in activities that honour and celebrate Canada’s Black History and how all of us can make a conscious effort through our thoughts and actions to make this a community and world where everyone feels accepted and valued.

Wednesday, February 26 is Pink Shirt Day. We ask that all staff and students wear something pink to show their school spirit and continue to cultivate a community of kindness.

PAC NEWS

Make sure you stay up to date on all that is happening with Kerrisdale PAC. Please visit their website https://sites.google.com/kerrisdaleschoolpac.ca/kspac/home for all the news! Our next PAC General Meeting is February 6 from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm in the library at the main school. We hope to see you there!